Disease or Syndrome
opportunistic infection Audio
[ op-er-too-nis-tik, -tyoo- in-fek-shuhn ]
Subclass of:
Parasitic Diseases; Virus Diseases; Infection
Definitions related to opportunistic infections:
  • An infection caused by an organism that does not normally cause disease. Opportunistic infections occur in people with weakened immune systems.
    NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • An infection that is caused by a pathogen that would generally not be able to cause an infection in a host with a normal immune system. Such pathogens take advantage of the opportunity, so to speak, that is provided by a weakened immune system.
    Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO)
    The Human Phenotype Ontology Project, 2021
  • An infection that occurs in an immunocompromised host, but that does not usually cause an infection with similar frequency or severity in a normal (immunocompetent) host.
    NICHD Pediatric Terminology
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Infection caused by an organism that is capable of causing disease in immunocompromised patients only (e.g. HIV-positive or transplanted patients).--2004
    NCI Thesaurus
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • An infection caused by an organism which becomes pathogenic under certain conditions, e.g., during immunosuppression.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
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This content should not be used in place of medically-reviewed decision support reference material or professional medical advice. Some terms may have alternate or updated definitions not reflected in this set. The definitions on this page should not be considered complete or up to date.